50th Anniversary National Rally

What a fantastic weekend we had celebrating 50 years of the Ford Cortina MkII at our 2016 National Rally at Stratford upon Avon.

Amongst the terrific turn out of 65 MkII Cortinas were 6 very special and siginifcant examples.

SOO 661D is one of the two prototype convertibles that Crayford built and is thought to be the display car from the launch at the 1966 Earls Court Motor Show.

Owner – John Peters.

MYL 958D is possibly the oldest surviving MkII Cortina and was registered early in readiness to become a demonstrator for a Kent based Ford dealer on 18th October 1966, launch day for the MkII.

Owner – Robin Draper.

CTC 16E, one of a fleet of press cars that launched the MkII Cortina Lotus models.

Owner – Matt Drake

We also had sister Twin Cam CTC 24E with us. Originally part of the press fleet it was turned in to a works race car, first run by Team Lotus and later by Alan Mann Racing.

Owner – J D Classics

WEV 26F is one of the press cars that helped launch the new cross flow engines in 1967 It was liked so much by one of the journalists that test drove it that he bought it himself! After his death his widow donated back to Ford where its been part of the Heritage Collection ever since.

Kindly loaned to us for the weekend by the Ford Motor Company.

RKL 700G, a convertible built by Crayford Auto Developements who took displayed it at a Motor Show in 1968 in America. It was sold at the show and turned up many years later when being recommissioned to star in one of the Austin Powers movies. Soon after it was bought as a surprise birthday present for Crayford founder and boss David McMullan by his sons.

Owner – Brendan Sandiford.

Congratulations to Ray Whittock who won the Malcolm Streatfield Memorial Trophy for “Member of the year”.